My first fix- My Maa's Cake

I was a picky eater during my kinder garden years. Not that I was selective on flavors, but I somehow just did not like the idea of eating. I would sit on the dinning table for 2 hrs trying to complete my lunch and half of the milk during breakfast would be poured secretly into plant pots.  I left no opportunity to harass my mother on an everyday basis. Wonder how she handled me. It terrifies me that my own child would land up being just like me and I would have to run to her saying,"I have no idea what to do, ma!".

The only thing I would eat without a fuss were my mom's tea cakes and hence, my mom baked a lot of tea cakes in different colors to entice me into eating something on a daily basis. One day I over heard her talking to my father and she said," Nah! I don't think I am a great cook. But I should get some credit for my cakes. If preeti has them, they might be really good". And they both laughed.

I guess this was the first solution she had found to a problem I never told her about. As I was growing up, they were more, like public speaking (I used to stammer slightly) , skin care tips, make up tricks, mathematics phobia and hostel loneliness to name a few. I never told her of these problems, but my mom had a fix for everything. How much ever I would revolt, criticize or complain, she would be quite. I would realize eventually that it was because of her that I wasn't a loose nut. She had fixed me all along.

That is ma, appa and myself.

She was my savior and she never gave up upon me. She gave me what ever it took to fix my problems; be it confidence, making herbal face masks or getting the best math tutor! She did it all. She was my mirror telling me to face my problems and then finding a solution for me.  I topped my math exam, won seminars and with a clean teen skin! She did everything and I took the credit home.

I am 26, married and completed my masters in electrical engineering. When people say I handle most things quite decently, I think how perfect my mom was doing the same and say,"you haven't met my mom. I am not even half decent as her". After all these years of fussing, complaining and even criticizing her, I  realized, I can never outdo her prowess in anything. Be it at home or work. And yet she says," I am so proud of you". I so miss her warm hugs and encourage words.

Both of us have not changed. I still call her and tremble saying,"Today is my DL test ma, I am scared!". In the whole world, I can only tell her this...."Ma, I am so scared". I guess we hold on to some amount of ego with everyone we know, even with our dads. But mothers are special. There are no farce walls between a mother and her children. We all have husbands, siblings and friends to share our deepest secrets. But it is only to a mother we will confide and reveal our weak side.

Thanks for all the fixes ma. For my readers, her first fix is right here for you. It is her famous tea cake. Tea cakes for spongy and fluffy, but not that dense. It should have crispy crust to it when warm from the oven. Best to be had with a hot beverage.

Basic Vanilla Tea Cake:-

Ingredients:-
1 cup of Sugar
1/2 cup of butter
2 large eggs
1 tsp pure vanilla extract
1 and 1/2 cup of flour
2 tsp of baking powder
1/2 cup of milk

Method:-
Preheat oven to 300 deg F and grease a cake tin
Cream the sugar and butter and add eggs one at a time and beat well.
Combine the vanilla extract.
Combine Flour and baking powder in a separate bowl.
Add milk and flour into the egg mixture alternatively and beat the mixture well till the end.
Pour the batter in the greased tin and bake for 30- 40 mins until a toothpick inserted in the cake comes out clean.

Happy Mother's Day to all you guys and have a great weekend with your mothers! Sending this to Panch Pakwan's Celebrating Mother's Day Event and Shabitha's event: Celebrating Mom.
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